Optical systems, such as telescopes, include precision surfaces (e.g., mirrors, lenses, etc.) that must be positioned precisely with respect to one another. Mounting precision surfaces is nontrivial, because different components in an optical system are made of different materials, which have different coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE). Therefore, even if great care is taken to initially mount a precision surface to a rigid support structure, alterations in temperature may cause the precision surface to warp or change position due to expansion or contraction of the precision surface and/or the rigid support structure. This problem is exacerbated when the optical system is subject to significant variations in temperature, such as a telescope that is to be operated in outer space.
Conventionally, apparatuses that are configured to absorb stresses have been employed to interface precision surfaces with support structures in optical systems. These conventional apparatuses, however, tend to be machined, multi-part apparatuses, making them difficult to manufacture, bulky, and somewhat expensive. If steps are taken to reduce the size or complexity of one of these conventional apparatuses, robustness of the apparatus is sacrificed, such that performance is degraded when stress is introduced in the optical system (e.g., when there is a change in temperature).